East Lothian lies to the east of Edinburgh, comprising mostly agricultural land and seaside resorts, one of which (Gullane) is home to the Muirfield Open Championship golf course. The seats proximity to Edinburgh makes it a popular home for commuters to the city.

East Lothianís economy was built on farming, manufacturing and mining. The mines are all closed now, with the last one in Blindwells closing early in 2000. There also used to be many breweries located in the area but these have all now gone except for the prospering Belhaven brewery. East Lothian has also been hit by the closure of the Mitsubishi plant in Haddington in April 1998 which lost the area over 500 jobs. Despite the decline in all these industries, the last few years has witnessed an economic transformation in the area and it has ceased to qualify for European structural funding.

This seat has been held by Labour since 1966 with the exception of a short period between February and October 1974. The sitting MP John Home Robertson represented this constituency since winning a by-election in 1978, and has also represented East Lothian in the Scottish Parliament since 1999. He is not contesting the seat at the general election, preferring instead to only serve in the Scottish Parliament.